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Have you ever wondered why you didn?EUR??,,????'???t get the sale? Have you ever kept track of the reasons why? In the sales process you can usually reduce the reasons why you didn?EUR??,,????'???t get the sale, or why your prospects weren?EUR??,,????'???t interested, to a few basic objections. By doing this, the theory says, you can start to formulate good responses to overcoming those basic objections. To test this theory, for the past three years, we?EUR??,,????'???ve started each of our landscape lighting seminars with this question to the class: ?EUR??,,????'??Give me a few reasons why your customers or prospects won?EUR??,,????'???t buy professionally installed landscape lighting from you.?EUR??,,????'?? The theory of reducing the sales process to basic objections works. After putting on seminars in Washington DC, Toronto, Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, St Louis and more … the answers are almost always identical. Green Industry professionals from across the Eastern United States give us the same objections. The Basic Objections
Have you ever wondered why you didn?EUR??,,????'???t get the sale? Have you ever kept track of the reasons why? In the sales process you can usually reduce the reasons why you didn?EUR??,,????'???t get the sale, or why your prospects weren?EUR??,,????'???t interested, to a few basic objections. By doing this, the theory says, you can start to formulate good responses to overcoming those basic objections. To test this theory, for the past three years, we?EUR??,,????'???ve started each of our landscape lighting seminars with this question to the class: ?EUR??,,????'??Give me a few reasons why your customers or prospects won?EUR??,,????'???t buy professionally installed landscape lighting from you.?EUR??,,????'?? The theory of reducing the sales process to basic objections works. After putting on seminars in Washington DC, Toronto, Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, St Louis and more … the answers are almost always identical. Green Industry professionals from across the Eastern United States give us the same objections.
Everybody can guess the first – Price. There?EUR??,,????'???s a surprise. We have labeled the second as the ?EUR??,,????'??kit objection?EUR??,,????'?? – I can get it at the home centers for $49.95, so why should I pay you $2,000 for a professional system.?EUR??,,????'??
Good objections aren?EUR??,,????'???t they? But the objection that is the most telling is need. Need is at the root of why some Green Industry professionals aren?EUR??,,????'???t as successful as they could be at selling professional landscape lighting. ?EUR??,,????'??My customers don?EUR??,,????'???t perceive a need – it?EUR??,,????'???s a luxury item.?EUR??,,????'?? Do you perceive a need? After years of doing seminars in major markets across the United States, we have begun to recognize a significant and growing unmet demand. But when was the last time you approached a job site, and informed your client that you could address these three basic concerns with landscape lighting? When we pose this question in a roomful of green industry professionals in a seminar setting, their eyes begin to roll. Then we ask, ?EUR??,,????'??Why do people need landscaping? Is there truly a need for it??EUR??,,????'?? After a few people try to defend their plants and shrubs they begin to see how landscape lighting can fulfill a very useful purpose for their customers.
Good objections aren?EUR??,,????'???t they? But the objection that is the most telling is need. Need is at the root of why some Green Industry professionals aren?EUR??,,????'???t as successful as they could be at selling professional landscape lighting.
?EUR??,,????'??My customers don?EUR??,,????'???t perceive a need – it?EUR??,,????'???s a luxury item.?EUR??,,????'?? Do you perceive a need? After years of doing seminars in major markets across the United States, we have begun to recognize a significant and growing unmet demand. But when was the last time you approached a job site, and informed your client that you could address these three basic concerns with landscape lighting? When we pose this question in a roomful of green industry professionals in a seminar setting, their eyes begin to roll. Then we ask, ?EUR??,,????'??Why do people need landscaping? Is there truly a need for it??EUR??,,????'?? After a few people try to defend their plants and shrubs they begin to see how landscape lighting can fulfill a very useful purpose for their customers.
If you don?EUR??,,????'???t think people are willing to pay for a certain degree of security, start taking notice of the proliferation of companies that are servicing the home security market. Start noticing how many yard signs are in front of homes today warning possible intruders that the home is protected with a security system. If there are six homes on the street, and only one is completely lit with landscape lighting, which house is an intruder least likely to pursue? With landscape lighting the prowler sees the security sign from the street. Effectively constructing and designing a landscape lighting system that takes into account each concern – beauty, safety, and security – will be very effective in providing ample protection and security to your customers.
If you still don?EUR??,,????'???t believe your customers don?EUR??,,????'???t have a need for the security lighting you can provide, ask yourself how many of your customers have porch lights? How many would leave that on at night? Safety Needs:
If you still don?EUR??,,????'???t believe your customers don?EUR??,,????'???t have a need for the security lighting you can provide, ask yourself how many of your customers have porch lights? How many would leave that on at night?
With a landscape lighting system, your customers get not only security, but also the safety elements are addressed. Changes in the elevation, low level shrubs or plant material that people may trip over; all are potential safety concerns for the homeowner and his guests. Changes in the steps, the deck, the driveway, the entranceways, all of these potential safety hazards and more can be addressed with landscape lighting. And by building in the proper controls for your customer with their landscape lighting system, safety concerns can be ?EUR??,,????'??turned on?EUR??,,????'?? with motion sensing devices, timers and more, to give your customer the comfort that his family, and their potential visitors are all able to avoid trouble by having their safety concerns addressed. Dangerous and unwelcomed visitors will be discouraged when a home has exterior lighting as well.
As you can see, landscape lighting systems may fulfill more actual client needs than many other offerings being made in the Green Industry today. If you can effectively present to your clients, how you can address some beauty and safety concerns with landscape lighting, you?EUR??,,????'???re 90 percent on your way to a sale. That?EUR??,,????'???s because the easy part, and by far the biggest added value of a landscape lighting system, is the beauty aspect. Most of us focus first on beauty in landscape lighting, and so dramatically diminish the safety and security issues, that we also begin to believe in the myth that landscape lighting is a luxury. You have to believe, and with good reason, that an effective landscape lighting system fulfills some basic overall needs that every client you have wants to be fulfilled. Being able to effectively present this to your clients goes a long way toward overcoming the most often stated objection to landscape lighting. Price. By showing your customer how your design, and your concepts will address all of these beauty, safety and security concerns, your customers will begin to see that you?EUR??,,????'???re not only installing a high quality product, but you?EUR??,,????'???re providing them an understanding an knowledge that will create a system that all value to their home, security to their family and property, and safety as the begin to take full advantage of their landscape at night. Growing Business Through Lighting
As you can see, landscape lighting systems may fulfill more actual client needs than many other offerings being made in the Green Industry today. If you can effectively present to your clients, how you can address some beauty and safety concerns with landscape lighting, you?EUR??,,????'???re 90 percent on your way to a sale. That?EUR??,,????'???s because the easy part, and by far the biggest added value of a landscape lighting system, is the beauty aspect. Most of us focus first on beauty in landscape lighting, and so dramatically diminish the safety and security issues, that we also begin to believe in the myth that landscape lighting is a luxury. You have to believe, and with good reason, that an effective landscape lighting system fulfills some basic overall needs that every client you have wants to be fulfilled.
Being able to effectively present this to your clients goes a long way toward overcoming the most often stated objection to landscape lighting. Price. By showing your customer how your design, and your concepts will address all of these beauty, safety and security concerns, your customers will begin to see that you?EUR??,,????'???re not only installing a high quality product, but you?EUR??,,????'???re providing them an understanding an knowledge that will create a system that all value to their home, security to their family and property, and safety as the begin to take full advantage of their landscape at night.
Now let?EUR??,,????'???s talk about the selfish side. Nothing can help your referrals more than an effective landscape lighting system. It will not only expand the ?EUR??,,????'??living space?EUR??,,????'?? for your clients, it will give them 12 month access and enjoyment to their landscape investment. In Michigan, where you only have abundant daytime light from late April to late September, landscape lighting?EUR??,,????'???s role in keeping your customers satisfied is even more dramatic. Consider Joe Homeowner who just made a large investment in his landscape. When is he going to really get to enjoy it? A couple months out of the year at best if there isn?EUR??,,????'???t landscape lighting? For a fraction of the total cost of landscape installation, landscape lighting will allow your customers to benefit from the safety and security aspects of landscape lighting, and enjoy the beauty that you brought to them for an entire season.
And do not forget about drive by sales. Everyone has a story about installing landscaping or irrigation in a neighborhood and the neighbors that made direct contact with the contractor on site. Pretty soon you worked your way down the street doing a number of homes. However, with landscaping, your work is only seen on the weekends and with irrigation it?EUR??,,????'???s hardly ever seen in actual operation at all. Imagine a neighborhood where you have installed lighting at the corner house and even installed a temporarily illuminated yard sign with your company?EUR??,,????'???s name on it (with the homeowners permission of course). Everyone coming home from work that evening will see your creation. In multiple markets we have seen lighting installations spread three times as fast as irrigation or landscape improvements throughout given neighborhoods.
Over the next ten years, more monies will change hand through inheritance than at any other point in history. From parents to the baby boomers who have historically demanded a closer commune with nature and who have been at the heart of the green industry growth these last fifteen years. These boomers will be looking to invest those monies and their homes will be a logical place to start. Also, these same people will comprise the largest population of senior citizens the US has ever seen. These active seniors will appreciate their homes wrapped in a blanket of safety and security veiled by the low warmth of landscape enhancing radiance. This is an investment that extends the value of their landscaping and their lifestyle and unlike today?EUR??,,????'???s stock market; they can enjoy their returns every evening. To overcome each of the basic objections that are in every sales presentation, first overcome your own misconceptions. There truly is a need for landscape lighting. It?EUR??,,????'???s not a luxury. It?EUR??,,????'???s something that will bring year after year of benefits to your clients. And, it?EUR??,,????'???ll still do wonder for your referrals. Mark Nattinger is the Senior Vice President, Sales at John Deere Landscapes
Over the next ten years, more monies will change hand through inheritance than at any other point in history. From parents to the baby boomers who have historically demanded a closer commune with nature and who have been at the heart of the green industry growth these last fifteen years. These boomers will be looking to invest those monies and their homes will be a logical place to start. Also, these same people will comprise the largest population of senior citizens the US has ever seen.
These active seniors will appreciate their homes wrapped in a blanket of safety and security veiled by the low warmth of landscape enhancing radiance. This is an investment that extends the value of their landscaping and their lifestyle and unlike today?EUR??,,????'???s stock market; they can enjoy their returns every evening.
To overcome each of the basic objections that are in every sales presentation, first overcome your own misconceptions. There truly is a need for landscape lighting. It?EUR??,,????'???s not a luxury. It?EUR??,,????'???s something that will bring year after year of benefits to your clients. And, it?EUR??,,????'???ll still do wonder for your referrals.
Mark Nattinger is the Senior Vice President, Sales at John Deere Landscapes
Francisco Uviña, University of New Mexico
Hardscape Oasis in Litchfield Park
Ash Nochian, Ph.D. Landscape Architect
November 12th, 2025
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